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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · chest · press · roll · tear · track · tube · scale

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. press — newspapers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — the underground
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — a container
  14. roll — a cake
  15. scale — in music
  16. press — to push
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. roll — a list
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com